The service, first run in 1883, is synonymous with the golden age of travel but is best known for the violent works of fiction set in its ornate carriages.

James Bond bested a Soviet hitman while travelling from Istanbul to London in From Russia With Love, while Hercule Poirot cracked his biggest case in Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express.

The latter has been adapted many times for the big and small screen, including a star-studded offering last year from director Kenneth Branagh, who also played Poirot.

As I board the train at Paris Gare de L’Est, where it first set off all those years ago, some of the film’s contributors embark with me — James Pritchard, the author’s great-grandson, and Oscar-winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne.